Taking on an apprentice

[geordie]

Looking to take on an apprentice. Anyone got any tips on what to look for. Going to give the person a trial run and see how they get on.

 

[Ponty Massive]

This is something we are also looking into. Is there any funding or help available from the goverment?

 

[kingeri]

Try your local college, they will likely have plenty of candidates!

 

[telectrix]

used to be a scheme by JCP for anyone over 6 months on dole, you as an employer get £60 a week off JCP to subsidise their wages , for a set number of weeks. don't know if it's still running.

 

[alarm man]

Looking to take on an apprentice. Anyone got any tips on what to look for. Going to give the person a trial run and see how they get on.

take on a 16 yr old kid from school who WANTS to be a spark he wont have a family and kids to support and wont expect 50 k in the first year,no doubt there will be funding..id speak to the training centres and jtl etc

 

[Welchyboy]

I have been looking at this too, I have come to the conclusion I'm going to try someone whose got a little experience of tools etc hopefully around 20 years old and drives then I can mould them a bit, with a 16 yr old apprentice the h&s you have to undertake is silly especially if you go through it with the Jtl
I advertised on the job centre for a trainee and got around 120 cv's the ads only been in there about a week!!
I was thinking around £50 per day 4 days per week what you reckon?
I have a short list and got the first interview on Monday

Things must be picking up a bit for others too now!

 

[i=p/u]

theres a scheme here where if on the dole you get 80 quid subsidy in their wages. you can also keep them on 30hrs per week and if over 25 they can claim tax credits.

does your insurance guys cover another worker??

if your self employed how do take on an apprentice? isit paye? how you put this in place? is is it hassel.

id love to take on apprentice but cant see how it would work? cause i dont know how it works.

and i could probably handle £100 a week max, meaning he'd get his wages every friday

 

[needasparks]

I've had a few over the years and tried all ages, best in my opinion is a 16yr old as they are more likely to stay with you and can be moulded to the way you want things done and all the college is paid for by the goverment. whoever you choose dont bank on getting any payback workwise for a couple of years so it has to be a long term plan you have in doing this.
I did try older people in the past thinking they would be better and not as kid like in there thinking, big mistake. They do the same silly things, cost more in wages (min wage kicks in), you don't get help unless they have been on the dole for 6 months and they will leave you sooner than you think because they are using you.

 

[Octopus]

What a refreshingly positive thread.

At least 3 here looking to take on and train youngsters - good on you for doing this.

 

[Welchyboy]

I've had a few over the years and tried all ages, best in my opinion is a 16yr old as they are more likely to stay with you and can be moulded to the way you want things done and all the college is paid for by the goverment. whoever you choose dont bank on getting any payback workwise for a couple of years so it has to be a long term plan you have in doing this.
I did try older people in the past thinking they would be better and not as kid like in there thinking, big mistake. They do the same silly things, cost more in wages (min wage kicks in), you don't get help unless they have been on the dole for 6 months and they will leave you sooner than you think because they are using you.

I have thought this may be the case, i took on a bloke a little while back he had done a few years at college and had done a few jobs, he called himself an electrician and said he was getting a day rate of £130 a day on agencies so I agreed to this for a few jobs and he was totally useless, work standards were terrible even on basic jobs and when I got rid of him I was still finding his bodges a month later!
It's made me reluctant to take anyone on again now, I would like someone young so you can teach them properly from the start

 

[needasparks]

It is pot luck with youngsters though but you do find out quite early if they are cut out for it, you just have to think back to when you were young. what they lack in any skills normally is made up in effort and IMO thats all that counts.
My last one i had straight from school, that was six years ago and now is a very good sparks.
I picked him above all the letters i got week in and out because he went out of his way by putting cards in wholesalers and everywhere else i went i kept seeing his card. This to me stood out and well deserved a chance. sometimes you just know you have made the right choice.

 

[DurhamSparky]

i currently have an apprentice..

NO FUNDING AVAILABLE!!!!

but he is worth his weight in gold!! recently advanced to changing CU and next step is testing!! only in first year as well!!

 

[needasparks]

Its quite fun letting them do the first cu. theres nothing they can break or that cant be corrected if its done wrong so good to let them just get on with it. I think they learn more on their own doing one than watching a hundred being done.
Must admit I tape up everywhere over the head for them flying cpc's crashing around. lol

 

[baldelectrician]

Mine can do a cu change and test it, he has been with me for over 2 years

When I check it it's neater than mine , and done correctly

I do like watching him work away (after proving dead etc) and popping the megger on insulation at 250v just to see him jump

 

[Welchyboy]

That's really good to hear and encouraging, that's exactly what I want, I have a few to see next week for a chat, I hope one will turn out like the above examples, think I will go for a youngster.

If I can get him putting in cu's after a year or two, neater than me....he may actually earn me a few quid too!

 

[needasparks]

Fingers crossed for you.
despite the theme of lazy youngsters there are still some keen go getters out there. You just have to find one fella.
heaven knows how full your inbox is by now.
Just don't expect much feed back from the first chat but tell them how clean you like your van

Some tips in this thread for any want to be sparks reading. see its not all doom and gloom just go that extra mile to make yourself stand out from the rest. Oh and lastly, please don't get your mum to ring all the companies for you, you would not believe how many do and what does that say about you.

 

[Guest111]

Looking to take on an apprentice. Anyone got any tips on what to look for. Going to give the person a trial run and see how they get on.

try a few simple electrical questions at interview that will give you an idea,anyone wanting to be a sparks should at least have read up on the job.watch out for the college boys though,some of them are terrible,heard some real horror stories,my last lad came to me with an assignment he couldn,t understand,he was a bright kid so it had me puzzled why he was struggling anyway the drawing he was given was completely wrong.turned out the instructor was on long term sick leave and his so called replacement was only level 2 qualified with virtually no experience.Kind of the blind leading the partially sited.

 

[OhmSweetOhm]

When I was in my 2nd year, I was out of work and my college advisor told me that I came with £2000 funding if a company took me on. That narf got me a job quick.

 

[vernam616]

The company i used to work for used to take around 3 on every year, and they always seemed to be lifeless idiots

No motivation, inititive or a brain, had the odd one which you can usually tell on the first day whether or not they will ever be anything

Problem nowadays is they expect it all on a plate for them and think it all comes too easy, when they started working at 16 yr old, they were instantly paid £150 per week !

When i was training it was £30 a week and it sure did make you work hard because you wanted to be taken on after the 2 years and earn some better money.

We had one apprentice who had been with us for around 2 years, constantly on his phone, messing simple things up, best i ever seen was when he was asked to remove a cavity wall box from a brand new wall which hadnt even been plastered, he took a hammer to the wall to remove it !, he was sacked shortly afterwards to no surprise

 

[Farmelectrics]

Is there anyone looking to take an apprentice on in the Merseyside area my nephew is looking to become a sparky like my self and his grandad